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Stephanie Clegg ’12 and the Jeffs tied the program record with 15 wins this fall.

The field hockey team ended its impressive postseason run on Sunday when they lost to Middlebury 1-0 at Skidmore in the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

After earning their at-large NCAA bid last Sunday night, the Jeffs hosted Gwynedd-Mercy College on Wednesday and delt them a decisive 7-0 shutout. Sarah McCarrick ’12, Katie McMahon ’13 and Madeline Tank ’15 each contributed a pair of goals, with Krista Zsitvay ’14 rounding out the Jeff’s offense with the seventh.

First-year goalie Rachel Tannenbaum contributed six saves on the day. Tannenbaum, Carly Dudzik ’12 and McMahon were named to the All-NESCAC first team, and Alex Philie ’14 to the All-NESCAC second team. Tannenbaum was also dubbed Rookie of the Year.

Amherst then traveled to Skidmore to play in the Sweet Sixteen on Saturday. They delivered their second shutout of the week, taking down Skidmore 2-0. McMahon got things started at the 19:15 mark on a penalty corner when Dudzik fed her from the top of the circle. McMahon tipped in the team’s first goal and her 17th of the season.

Skidmore challenged Amherst at the end of the first half when they earned two penalty corners with no time remaining on the clock. While Skidmore registered three shots, the Amherst defense came up big. Tannenbaum made two saves and Stephanie Clegg ’12 made a defensive save to keep the score 1-0. The Jeffs finished off the Thoroughbreds on a second half corner when Sarah McCarrick ’12 ripped a shot past Skidmore goalie off a pass from McMahon.

Amherst stayed the night to take on Middlebury the next day in the NCAA Quarterfinals. Despite holding the advantage in shots and penalty corners, Amherst couldn’t come up with a goal and the Panthers took the game 1-0.

“We played very well against Middlebury, we just couldn’t finish in the circle,” Dudzik said. The game’s sole goal was registered by Middlebury’s Lauren Greer in the second half.

Amherst finishes their season 15-4 (8-2 NESCAC), which included an impressive eight shutout performances. The program will graduate seniors Chrissy Cantore, Clegg, Dudzik, Rachel Lupien, McCarrick and Casey Silver.
“I’m so proud of what we accomplished this season as a team” Dudzik said. “We worked hard from day one of preseason to the last day of post season, and proved to ourselves and the rest of the NCAA that we are a strong and talented group. We are all leaving the season with our heads high.”